In the Middle
by blackxuan123
Summary: Sephiroth never would've thought that the one woman that had caught all of his attention would return his feelings. But he never could've imagined that his own brother Cloud would also fall in love with her. What was he supposed to do to avoid losing both of them besides sharing with his brother the only person that made him feel alive? (Sephiroth x Tifa x Cloud)
1. Chapter 1

Sephiroth grabbed his mug full of ale and took a long gulp from it. He took advantage now that it covered his face to take a long look at her. To say that she was beautiful, was an understatement. The pallor of her skin reminded him of the moon— so bright and so smooth. Not that he'd had the privilege of running his hands over it, of course. Her dark raven hair cascading down her back, was most days tied down by a rubber band, but not today. No, today she had let it wild and loose making her look even more ethereal. He'd never understood why a girl as gorgeous as her would choose to work in a bar full of all kinds of men. He wasn't one of them though. Sure, he came to drink and have fun, but he never crossed the line. Never would he have so much to drink that he lost control over himself. And that was the biggest difference between them.

Realizing he had already finished his drink, Sephiroth put the mug on the table by the far corner of the local where he sat. He was a regular at the bar. Never talked much to anyone, except for the occasional nod or shake whenever anyone asked him a question. Come to think of it, the only person who ever mustered the courage to address him was her, and he would bet all his money that she did so if only to do her work and get a few gils extra.

His reputation preceded him. Everybody knew who they were. He and his brother that is. It had something to do with the fact that they were both SOLDIER First Class. And a lot to do with that incident a few months ago. It got them both suspended for three weeks. Director Lazard had said that what they'd both done deserved immediate expulsion, but the company couldn't afford to lose two of their key and most important members. Even less both at the same time. He had no regrets though. The bastard deserved it.

"Still don't have the guts to go talk to her?"

Sephiroth shrugged placing his arms on top of the table and leaning against them.

"Stay out of my business, Angeal."

"Whatever you say. I thought I'd give a little push to help. Where's Cloud?"

He shrugged again, much to Angeal's annoyance. Instead of bothering to give him another word, which would no doubt receive yet another mindless shrug, Angeal shook his head. His friend would never change, but that didn't mean he had to give up. He took one glance at Sephiroth who met his gaze. Noticing the playful gleam in Angeal's eyes, Sephiroth furrowed his eyebrows a little.

"Angeal, don't." A warning and a silent threat laced his voice.

Angeal turned his head towards the bar, where—oh, no—Tifa stood. "Waitress!"

Sephiroth's eyes shot daggers towards Angeal. He would've throttled him were it not for the lady already on her way towards them.

"Hello! What can I get you two?" She smiled with the same enthusiasm she did every day at work while her eyes went from him to Angeal and over again.

"I'd like a beer, please. Oh, and a burger with fries."

"Mhm, anything else?" Both of their eyes turned to Sephiroth. Angeal's teasing and taunting along with a smirk and Tifa's questioning. Gods, were her eyes stunning.

"Same," he answered. Not because that was what he really wanted, but because he couldn't think of anything else to say with her eyes focused on him.

"Okay," drew Tifa while she scribbled both orders down, "would that be all?"

"Yes. That would be all, thank you," answered Sephiroth. He did it quickly before Angeal could even think of saying something stupid again. He gave her a smile, small as it was but Angeal noticed it. He placed a hand against his mouth to hide the growing grin he was giving Sephiroth. He had no idea how or why many thought his seemingly stoic friend was unreadable and expressionless. when in reality if only people looked close enough you could read him like an open book.

Once the waitress turned and started her way back towards the bar, Angeal couldn't help but follow where his friend's gaze lingered on her lower back.

"No wonder why you like to spend so much time here," mused Angeal out loud shaking his head.

Sephiroth broke from his trance. "What do you want, Angeal?"

"Wow, five words. That's a new record, you know," teased Angeal. Before he could explain himself, both men caught on Tifa's steps towards them.

"Here you go," Tifa placed both beers in front of them. "The burgers will come out in only a few more minutes. Let me know if you need anything else."

Sephiroth pinned Angeal down with his eyes causing the later to scoff out a laugh.

"What? Oh, don't give me that look. You're the one who's asking for it. It doesn't take an experienced scientist to connect the dots. You like her! Why don't you ask her out?"

"No." There was no way on this planet he was going to ask her that question. She worked on a bar, for gods' sake! He doubted she didn't receive the question on daily basis. Besides, what could she possibly want to do with a guy like him? When it came down to it, there was nothing of real worth he could offer a woman. Especially one like her.

"Are you serious?"

"Very." He took a sip of his beer. "Have you talked to Genesis lately?"

"No. Have you?"

Sephiroth shook his head. "Mm-mm. Last time I did, he was acting strange."

"Of course he was. He's Genesis. He doesn't exactly fit the description of normal."

"I resent that."

Both men turned to see their friend, and their current topic of conversation, standing right behind them with his arms crossed. He shook his red coat off and placed it neatly over the back of the chair.

"Thought you said you hadn't talked to him lately."

"I hadn't," defended Angeal.

"So, you were talking about me," said Genesis as he took a seat.

"No."

"Yes," corrected Angeal. "Well, it was more like wondering what you've been up to. Thought you were M.I.A. How did you know we were here?" It was a discreet question from a friend concerned.

"Everyone knows, if Sephiroth's not in his office, he's in here. And if you're not with the puppy, then you're with him," Genesis so explained.

"What have you been up to?" Sephiroth changed the subject before his other friend could make another comment on his plain obvious fancy towards the dark haired lady.

"I had to go home to solve some issues with the old man."

"Is he alright?"

"He's dead." Sephiroth and Angeal's ears perked up at the cold revelation. "He had a heart attack."

"Sorry to hear that," offered Sephiroth as condolences.

"Why didn't you tell us? We could've gone with you to Banora." After all, wasn't that what friends were for?

"Yeah, I know, but I wanted to go alone. The old man and I weren't close, so it really didn't mean much. I went back for my mother more than anything."

"I see," replied Sephiroth.

"Anyways, I could use a drink. Who's inviting?"

Sephiroth wasted no time in answering. "I'm sure Angeal would love to invite us both." He took out some gil to pay for his part and to leave a rather generous tip for the lady. He turned to Angeal as he stood. "Make sure Genesis doesn't steal the change."

"And what makes you think I would?" asked Genesis somewhat offended.

"Just don't."

"Hey, bring Cloud next time. Zack has been pestering me with questions about why we don't ever invite them to come with us."

"Sure." He doubted his brother would like this environment, but he was not about to explain that to his friends. "See you back at HQ."

And with that he left, but not before throwing one last glance at her. She was standing behind the bar talking to a smaller girl about something that brought a smile to her lips. Beautiful, he thought. And as if he had called out her name out loud with his thoughts, she slipped her eyes to him. She widened her smile in turn for him, and though he was almost entirely sure she did that to everyone else, he couldn't help but think that there was something else he couldn't identify in her eyes. He dipped his head a little in acknowledgement offering her one of his rare gentle smiles. One especially designed for her.

"I still can't believe he still hasn't asked you out!"

Tifa let out a sigh. "He has quite the long line of women waiting for him. Probably even throwing themselves at him. There's no way or reason why a man of his profession might be interested in little old me."

The younger girl opened her eyes in disbelief. "You're kidding me, right? The only thing that general does every time he comes here is look at you. The rest of the time, he's looking for a way to not be so obvious."

"Oh, please. Exaggerating things has always been a bad habit of yours, Yuffie." She really didn't want to get her hopes up for nothing. Besides, it was not a rare sight to catch a man down here checking her out. She was fit and all, not to mention her breast tended to catch all the attention. Who was to say that the Silver General was the exception? Still, she could do no better than to hope that what Yuffie said had some percent of truth.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note:_

 _Hello, everyone! Sorry for the huge delay in updating. For this second chapter I used one of TFR's writing prompts (Number 123) for inspiration and for this story's plot. It is fully used with no alterations, so that little piece is not owned in any way by me. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you guys think. Review!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Final Fantasy or TFR's writing prompts.

CHAPTER 2

Cloud Strife wiped the sweat from his forehead. This little sparring match had been giving him a harder time than he originally thought. He learned his lesson though. Never would he underestimate his opponent, puppy or not.

"Need a little break, Spikey?"

"I'm fine." A little exhausted, but that was all. No reason to quit… yet.

"I dunno. You're looking a little bit pale."

Cloud took this opportunity now that Zack had let down his guard to taunt him, to turn on the offensive. He smiled. Always so predictable, he thought. Focus was not the dark haired man's strongest asset. In only a matter of seconds it was gone.

"Ok, ok! I get it!" Joked Zack. "So, did you and Sephiroth enjoy your forceful vacations?"

"Well, if constant training and working out for six hours daily fits you description of it, then yes, we did."

"Yeah, I can see the difference," he answered between sword slashing and clashing.

"Nothing better to do, really." Cloud stopped his assaults taking a leap backwards to put some distance between them.

"So, no stopping to think about what you guys did?"

Cloud sighed annoyed. He knew the topic would have come out sooner or later. He would've preferred later though.

"I already told you. It was an accident."

"Cloud, ok, it's just… It takes a lot of rage to rip a man's arm off."

"Yeah, well he was that mad."

"And irradiated."

"Well, what did you expect? That guy was bullying me. He did it in my own defense."

"Cloud, he was a normal man. A civilian! You two are _two_ Mako enhanced SOLDIER's."

"Look, we've both have heard enough from the President himself. I don't need to hear anything else from you too. And besides, do you expect me to see wrong in my own brother reacting towards anyone who does wrong to me?"

"I know that you two have come a long way. I just want to make sure no one has even the slightest right to talk ill about you two. Shinra's already looking bad enough in the public eye with all those eco-friendly terrorists on the rise. And this little stunt—"

"Accident," interrupted Cloud.

"—does nothing to help with all those rumors of us being monsters and all."

Cloud knew he was right. But he'd already decided he would put all of this in the past. There was no need to keep pouring salt over the wounds.

"Anyways, I'm glad they didn't kick you guys out. I would've been bored to death with no sparring partner."

"You'd still have Angeal."

"Nah, I mean, he's cool and all but I think he's getting a little old."

"Who's getting old?"

Both heads turned to see Angeal with his Buster sword attached to his back and arms crossed walking towards them in the training area.

 _Shit_ , was the only word that flashed across Zack's mind.

"No one," he said trying to cover up for himself offering a cheapish smile.

Angeal stopped right in front of the dark haired SOLDIER and gave him a look. Without tearing his eyes from him, Angeal addressed Cloud.

"Director Lazard wants to see you, Cloud."

"Yes, sir."

Cloud did his best to hold in his laughs but he couldn't avoid letting out a few snickers at the situation Zack and his big mouth had gotten into. He left the training area before Zack could try to convince him to stay.

"Now, what was that you were saying? Something about me getting old?"

Zack laughed nervously, "It was only a joke, really."

"Uh-huh." But Angeal didn't look too convinced. Before Zack could issue a complain, Angeal had already set up the simulation room for the two of them.

"Let's see who's getting old, shall we?"

In less than a second, Angeal had already charged at him with his sword to hit him with the dull side.

Zack only wished he'd learn how to keep his mouth shut.

Sephiroth sat with a leg crossed over the other and his arms crossed while he fixed Director Lazard one of his deadliest glares. Had it been any other man, he was sure he would've been begging for forgiveness and mercy. But something about being a superior to Sephiroth gave the man all the confidence he needed to remain calm. Smug even.

He'd been here for ten minutes already. Ten minutes that had passed without the other man saying as much as a reason behind this meeting. He had a pretty good idea of what it was though. He just hated wasting time.

At the other side of the desk, Lazard was running over and over again how he was going to tell Sephiroth and his brother the news. He was sure as hell the General wouldn't like it but it had been orders from above. There was nothing he could do to change them. He just prayed the siblings would remember that before they unleashed their wrath upon him.

Before he could offer the Goddess another silent prayer, Cloud Stife walked into the room. His facial expression became wary when he took in his older brother and his tense posture.

"Cloud, it's so nice of you to join us," greeted Lazard to which both other men raised an eyebrow. As if either of their presence here had been optional.

"Have a seat," he offered kindly. Well, here goes nothing.

"I'm sure you both know quite well why you're here. In light of recent events, the company's reputation has become somewhat damaged due to various reasons, one of which you two are entirely responsible for."

Sephiroth scoffed at this. Lazard ignored him and continued.

"It is because of this fact that the President himself has requested we all take the necessary measures to avoid ruining what is left of our image while we do our best to rebuild what isn't."

Both silver and golden haired men looked as if they couldn't care less about the company's situation. This was going to be a very long and difficult climb back to glory.

"I'm also quite sure that you both are familiar with the anti-Shinra terrorist group AVALANCHE. During your leave, this group managed to blow up two of our less important reactors as a very clear message. We have no doubt that this has all been but baby steps towards a grander plan seeking to destroy Shinra absolutely. However, we haven't the slightest idea as to who the members of this group may be.

"Now this is where you two would've come in if it hadn't been for the General's dismemberment of a normal civilian. Leaving me no option but to place both of you as far from this op as I can."

Cloud furrowed his brows as if in confusion, while Sephiroth's were raised almost high enough to touch his hairline as if in offense.

"As a small plan we have come up with, the President and any other well-known figure from the company, will be working directly with the public supporting causes, small businesses, schools, etc., by personally attending any and every event that we're invited to and even those we're not to show genuine interest in our people's affairs."

"And?" Sephiroth disrespectfully asked, much to Lazard's annoyance. He made a mental note to notify Hojo of his most precious creation's cocky and irreverent attitude as of late.

"And this is where you two actually come in. Even though the public does not exactly idolize you anymore, it doesn't change the fact that you two are of the best and the best we have. Which is why we are temporarily relocating you to First Class escorts to avoid any of Avalanche harm as much as a hair of any of our figures."

Lazard finished with a small satisfied smile as he finally took in a breath. It didn't last long though. Cloud still had that somewhat confused expression. It had been too much for him it seemed. Now, Sephiroth… He was livid!

Lazard had been one of the few that could affirm that the rumors of the General's eyes burning bright with Mako whenever he was possessed by ire were true. This proved it.

"So, let me get this straight," interrupted Cloud as the wheels in his brain turned. "You are not letting us deal with the terrorist's investigation because of one small incident that made us look back to the public to send us to deal with said public that now apparently hates us?"

"Think of it as an opportunity for you two to gain our people's respect and admiration once more."

"By degrading us to mere guards?" Finally spoke Sephiroth.

"While you two gain your privileges back, yes." He remembered what Zack had said a few years back, that they spoiled the General too much. He hadn't thought of it that way till now that not only the General but his brother as well were little more than the spoiled babes of the company.

Cloud scowled at Lazard's response while Sephiroth's stillness was the only hint that he was doing his best to keep his infamous temper under control.

"You sound like we haven't given enough to this fucking company. Tell me, does the risking of our lives each day mean nothing to you? Or the personal sacrifices we have all done to let you do as you please with our bodies? No wonder why the population seeks to get rid of you," fumed Cloud.

"Believe me, I am aware of everything you have offered, but this decision does not rest upon my hands," offered Lazard as sympathetically as he could.

Sephiroth then uncrossed his legs and arms as he gently placed them on the armrest to slowly push himself up. He could not believe what he heard. If it were for him, he would personally assist the terrorists to make sure this company was burned to the ground. He rested his hands upon Lazard's desk where the latter's fingers were entwined.

"You tell that fat bastard that I refuse this offer to gain back our privileges."

He said the last part mockingly as only he ever could and turned and left without as much as glancing back. Cloud followed after him in a similar fashion letting out a few curses towards the institution.

Once Lazard was alone, he let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding.

"Well, that went well," he mused out loud while he stood and went to pour himself two knuckles worth of liquor.

Sephiroth was angry beyond belief. He already was upset enough with everything Shinra to have to deal with any more of their shit.

"Seph!" He heard Cloud call from behind him across the hall. He didn't even stop to acknowledge his brother.

"Seph, wait!" Cloud gripped his arm in an effort to get his attention but was met with a heavy glare from Sephiroth.

"What?" He snapped.

"Look, I know you're mad, but I don't think it's a good idea for you to go out alone right now," cautioned Cloud.

Pulling his arm from Cloud's grip, he replied, "I'm going to the apartment. I need to be alone."

Cloud nodded once, understanding that the easiest way for him to calm down was when he was left alone to think things through. So, he stood there while he watched Sephiroth stomp his way out.

Sephiroth had stripped down the second he locked closed the door to his apartment. Well, his and Cloud that was. He was so mad that he felt a heavy fever beginning to rise. He got in the shower adjacent to his room and turned on the water as cold as possible hoping it would at least freshen him up a little. He focused on how the water ran down his hair to his scalp and the rest of his body.

He'd had enough of everything. This only served to add reasons to his growing list of why he should leave Shinra. He'd already discussed all of them with Angeal and Genesis, both of whom supported him. They'd told him that should he ever make the decision to leave, they would too. They'd even made him promise to not leave unless they all would at the same time, not putting it below Shinra to use them against each other. Cloud and Zack were the only ones left out of the info, but the three of them agreed to drag those two along with them.

Sephiroth had always thought it was wishful thinking, but now more than ever he saw leaving as a very probable decision.

Once he'd calmed down his anger, he continued his regular cleansing routine. Wrapped now in a towel, he went out to pick the garments he'd randomly removed on his way to the shower and placed them all neatly in the laundry. He had five spare uniforms to use, which he ignored for the rest of the afternoon. He knew he wasn't going back to work today, so after hanging back the towel in his bathroom, he lied down on his bed with the AC on high savoring the coolness it offered his body. He soon realized that though it soothed his body, it did little to ease his mind.

Jumping off his bed, he dressed up with pair of dark blue jeans and a black shirt. He went to the one place he knew he'd find something to occupy his mind with. Or _someone_.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's note:_

 _Hello, again, everyone. I want to thank Mel21 and Melanie for reviewing, which I forgot to in last chapter. You guys are awesome! This chapter is for you, guys. Enjoy!_

 **Disclaimer** : I own nothing of this characters or the Final Fantasy world. I only enjoy twisting them for my reader's and my pleasure.

Chapter 3

That was it. Tifa had had enough. He had been nice. She had been friendly. She had even been a little flirty, but that gave him no reason to look at her the way he had. The worst part was that he'd taken the seat at the end of the bar, right next to the entrance to where she usually worked and stayed. But Yuffie had left her on her own tonight. Meaning that not only did she had to prepare the drinks and serve them, but also go around the tables to take orders, bring drinks, serve drinks, bring food, help in the kitchen, clean the tables, be nice, be friendly, and try her damn best not to punch anyone in the face tonight.

She'd been doing well on that last one… for now. But on the rest, she was about to have a breakdown. It didn't help that the bar had been pulling more and more clients every week, making this night one of the fullest and busiest, if not the one.

But having to do all of these things by herself meant that she'd been coming in and out of the bar to attend everyone else. And every time she passed that creep somehow found a way to grab her or touch her someway and it was making her uncomfortable.

"So how about that date I asked for? Thought about it already?" He kind of slurred.

"Maybe some other time," she said as nicely possible.

"Aw, come on. Why don't you just say yes? I'm sure we'd have lots of fun together," he replied suggestively while touched her arm yet again.

She glared at him in turn. "I don't think so, and could you be so kind and keep your hands to yourself?" The man only smirked at her while he let his hand fall caressing her skin while it did.

She felt a shiver run down her spine in disgust. Sometimes she wondered if working here was worth all of this, good money or no. Maybe she should've stayed home. No, she quickly erased the thought from her mind. Home had nothing but bad memories.

She heard the bell hanging from the door ring, indicating that there was yet another customer to attend that night. Maybe she should've closed early tonight.

The last thought went to the darkest and most forgotten parts of her mind when she turned and saw who came in. His usual seat was taken, so it left him either to share a table with a stranger or take a stool by the bar counter just in front of her. She started mixing drinks to distract herself from the unusual yet familiar sensation that settled in her stomach whenever she laid her eyes on him.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard him pull out the stool to sit on. Just in front of her. Great. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks while she lifted her gaze to him.

"Hello, what can I get you?"

She knew what he liked to drink as he never asked for anything else, but did it hurt to try and get out more than a word out of the man?

"A mug of ale, please."

Sephiroth was doing no better than her. Just looking at those eyes of hers undid him.

"Coming right up."

He noticed when she turned after giving him his drink what she wore. A pair of high waist black jeans that clung just perfectly to her body without bordering on the obscene, along a white sleeveless crop top with a loose lace up on the front that allowed just the perfect amount of cleavage to show. It was hard for a woman like her not to look outright exquisite with anything she wore.

He noticed that today the bar was packed. More so than any of the other nights he'd come. And by the way Tifa looked, she was taking on everything by herself. She normally lingered a few more seconds, whenever she brought him his order, but tonight she'd sprinted back to tend the other tables. He didn't fail to notice her exaggerated movements as she exited the bar area as she did her best to evade a not-so-nice man who'd reached for her bottom. This caused him to scowl but he hid it behind his mug. His eyes remained on the subject, immediately deciding he didn't like this guy at all.

The other guy felt the constant stare from Sephiroth just a seat to his right. He only bothered to nod and offer a wet smirk as a few drops from his beer mug escaped his mouth.

"Do I know you?"

There was something familiar about that guy with Silver hair but he couldn't pinpoint it.

"I don't think so," came the cold reply from the General.

"Really?" The man shrugged. "I could've sworn I've seen your face somewhere."

Sephiroth had no doubt the man did recognize him, either from SOLDIER advertisement or from the news a few weeks back but was too drunk to realize it.

"You come here often?"

Sephiroth chuckled at the man's determination to know who he was. If only he remembered that there was only one man in all of Gaia with long, silver hair and green cat eyes. He felt tempted to ignore him blatantly, but decided to humor him instead.

"I do."

"Huh. Maybe that's why I feel like I know you."

"Maybe," Sephiroth shrugged.

"You know, there are quite a lot of places to go to have fun here in Midgar. But there is no DJ, no club, no party, or bartender that beats Tifa. Not even Don Corneo's girls, and boy, are they something."

Sephiroth knew he wasn't the only male or female that appreciated Tifa's physique, but having to listen to someone else say it out loud was something he found he didn't tolerate.

"One look at her," the man slurred with a lazy finger pointing up, "anywhere, and you'll find yourself caught in her web among the rest of us."

Sephiroth scowl had turned to a deadly glare at the drunken man by now.

"And the worst part is that she doesn't even care that some of us are willing to even kill for one chance with her."

"Hmph." Maybe he should've just ignored the man from the beginning. He turned to check that Tifa hadn't been too close to hear their one way conversation about her and turned just in time to see her making her way towards the kitchen with her arms full of dirty dishes and glasses. Her eyes met his before going behind the two way doors.

"What's your name again?"

Sephiroth dragged his annoyed stare towards the man once more when a fight broke on one of the tables to the corner.

"What do ya mean 'no'?! I busted my ass to getcha what you wanted and now you say you ain't got no money to pay?! Well, that's just fuckin' great."

"Cid, you got one damn second to sit your ass down and quit makin' a scene."

"No, I'm not sitting down until dis punk here gets me my money," he said referring to the large dark man.

From where Sephiroth sat, he deduced that the loud blonde man had done some sort of illicit job for the other man. Something about their demeanor gave them away as not being the honorable type exactly.

"You are not done with your end of the bargain yet, and until then I'm not giving you a gil." The large dark skinned man tried to keep his voice as low as possible to not bring any more attention but Sephiroth could still hear with his enhanced senses.

"No! That was not what we initially agreed!" The man called Cid yelled.

"That is exactly what we agreed. And if your skinny white ass don't like it then you can getta hell outta here!"

"So, it's a racist thing now!" Replied Cid hitting the table. "I am sick of being nice to niggas like ya and get not one ounce of respect back."

"Whaddiya call me?"

"Ya heard me."

Before Cid could pull back, the other man had punched him across the face so hard that he ended up bumping into another table, arousing another string of curses from the innocent men. Well, not-so-innocent when one of them tried to punch Cid too but missed and punched his partner. In a matter of seconds Cid had managed to get up from where he'd crashed on their table and charged at the larger man in revenge, successfully hitting him and causing him to crash into another table in a similar manner.

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow as he witnessed the whole establishment get involved voluntarily or otherwise in the fight as they all somehow got dragged into their silly quarrel. He couldn't deny that he found it entertaining, at least more than the love struck idiot to his left.

Common men found any stupid reason to start fights these days it seemed.

* * *

Tifa was just finishing submerging the dirty dishes in soapy water when she heard all the ruckus coming from outside the kitchen doors. Sparing a look of confusion to the cook, she stomped out to see what the hell was going on.

The second she stepped out of the kitchen, she had to duck to avoid getting a glass shattered against her face.

"What the fuck is going on in here?"

Sephiroth turned his head when he heard Tifa's shocked voice. He knew there was no way for her to catch his words through all the screaming and yelling so he only shrugged in mock ignorance.

Tifa could only stand completely frozen as she took in the mess. Of course, this had to happen the night she was alone running the bar. This was beyond her abilities. She could handle a few heated drunkards, but this… This was her fullest night, and all except two were too busy fighting and ruining her establishment.

Sephiroth could only scoff at his luck that day. He'd come here to clear his head and distract himself, but the divine goddess couldn't grant him that apparently. And it was not like he could risk getting involved in another fight so soon after his last incident. But after one look at Tifa's hopeless eyes, he was convinced to help her somehow.

Tifa saw him slump down a bit with a sigh before he stood and crossed all the way through the riot to the exit. For a second her heart sank thinking he'd leave her there alone and hopeless as to how she was going to solve this situation. She saw Sephiroth open the door before he grabbed two rather large men and threw them outside as if they were no more than large garbage bags. She stood there still in shock as she saw him empty the establishment.

He had kicked out everyone, including the man who'd been touching her earlier—although he wasn't part of the fight. He'd only left two men who'd been so busy getting at each other to realize they were the only ones left wrestling on the floor.

"Cid! Barret!"

Both heads turned to Tifa as they paused their movements.

"Yeah, Teef?" Asked Barret.

Tifa saw red at her fatherly figure's question. Sephiroth stood at the other side of them with a bored expression on his handsome features and his arms crossed.

"You two have crossed the line this time," she said with the finality of a mother scolding her children.

"But this fat nigga owes me my mon—"

"I don't care why you two thought it was a good idea to start fighting the night I'm actually in need of a couple of helping hands. I am sick of having to clean up after BOTH of your old asses when all I've ever done is extend my unlimited generosity towards you whenever and for whatever you need it."

Cid nudged Barret with his elbow, "Now see what ya did? Tifa's all pissed at us and it's all your fault."

Barret glared at Cid before he released him from the headlock he had him at. "Come on, punk. Let's get outta here before she decides to sever both our heads."

"Amen to that."

Tifa remained pissed as both of her friends stood as if nothing had happened and walked towards the exit without offering to help her clean up the mess they'd certainly _helped_ create.

As they exited, Barret bumped his shoulder with Sephiroth's rather rudely.

"Whatchu lookin' at, punk?"

"Barret," warned Tifa.

He knew who the pretty boy was. He'd been keeping a close eye on him since the first time he'd stepped into Seventh Heaven. Even more when he noticed how fixated the General was with Tifa. And though he did not trust the Shinra General one bit, he had no option but to leave her alone with him.

"Hey, are we gonna leave our girl alone with the Shinra scum?" Cid asked after they were far enough from the bar.

"We can't afford to blow our cover, and besides, she can handle herself just fine." Cid noticed Barret was trying to convince himself more than him, but for his mental peace he agreed.

"Did you get it?"

"Ya bet your ass I did," smirked Cid while he flipped a Shinra HQ pass.

"Good. I'd hate to think Tifa's place got busted for nothing."

* * *

Sephiroth took a step towards Tifa who hadn't moved an inch since her two friends left.

"Are you alright?"

"Alright? Of course I'm not alright! The slums look better than this place right now! How am I supposed to open this place tomorrow? How am I even going to clean this up all by myself?!" She turned and kicked an upside down chair, immediately regretting it when one of its legs finished breaking. She stood there completely still taking in the room. There was no way she was going to put this place in acceptable conditions in less than two days all by herself. She made a mental note to make sure Barret and Cid got an earful from her.

Tifa shook her head. All of this mess… and for what? She never thought when she let her friends use her establishment as a secret meeting place it would cost her this much. And yes, she had been making quite a lot of money, but it was supposed to be saved for later use. For when she had enough to buy her dream house somewhere nice and far from this hectic city.

To think she, Tifa Lockhart, had moved to the heart of Midgar running away from the simple, boring lifestyle of Nibelheim only to end up working to return to a similar place she might call home.

She was brought back to the present when she heard some cluttering and shuffling. Right. She had forgotten she wasn't alone.

"What are you doing?"

Sephiroth looked back at her questioningly, as if the answer to her question was obvious and she too stupid to realize.

"I'm cleaning."

"No, I meant, what are you doing cleaning? You're my client. You're not supposed to be cleaning. Tifa looked up at him, having no idea what her big wine eyes were doing to him.

"Do you have to open this place again?"

"Well, yeah," she replied with a shrug now thinking he was the stupid one.

'Well, there's no way you're going to do that no sooner than two days from now at least all by yourself." With that he turned and continued what he was doing putting back up the tables and chairs still in one piece scattered all over the place.

He did have a point. And it definitely proved useful since she didn't know how long Yuffie would be on sick leave, and her current cook was somewhere in the kitchen unconscious from the glass that almost got shattered against her face. Realizing that she indeed needed his help, she walked over to where he was and began helping him help her.

"Thank you."

Sephiroth looked at her from the corner of the eye, and replied, "No problem."

They both continued sorting through the broken chairs and glasses in a silence that was not quite awkward but not comfortable either. Neither could resist throwing glances to the other secretly in admiration and appreciation. Sephiroth would be lying f he said he wasn't excited at this opportunity to spend some time alone with her even if they weren't actually talking or sharing anything with each other. Tifa, on the other hand, was ding inside from the awkwardness the silence was causing her. She tried to remain calm and maintain the silence, but before long she just couldn't take it.

"So, you're one of the SOLDIER's from First Class?"

She asked trying to small talk.

"Yeah, I'm a general there." Sephiroth had no idea why he felt the need to add his military rank, but he could tell she wasn't all that familiar with SOLDIER. He wanted to say _the_ General but he refrained from doing so lest he seem like an arrogant prick. Which he knew he was, but wanted to try and hide that side of him for a little while. Although, he still wanted to impress her with his rank.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

Now it was Sephiroth's turn to feel awkward with the silence.

"You're not from around from around here, are you?"

"Is my accent really that thick?" She said with a laugh.

"No, it's just that… well… People from around here tend to know who and what I am. They sometimes seem to know more about me than I do myself." So, maybe she really didn't know all that much about him.

"You're that famous here, huh," she teased him with a little bit of flirt.

He chuckle, "Not exactly famous, just well-known. You really haven't seen me on the news?" He asked, feeling a little bit down at the confirmation of not really knowing that much about him. A part of him felt relieved at this first. Goddess knew how much he hated those crazy fan girls throwing themselves at him. It made this all the more exciting and challenging since he now had a chance to make a very good impression of himself.

"No, I'm not really one to watch them. I rarely have time to watch TV."

"I can relate to that," he said with a small laugh.

"Um, I know that this is kind of weird, since you're a regular and all here, but we haven't exactly been properly introduced," she rambled a bit. She stood in front of him with a smile on her face and her cheeks a bit rosy as she extended her hand to him.

"Hi, I'm Tifa Lockhart."

Sephiroth gently grabbed her hand.

"Enchanted, Miss Lockhart. First Class General, Sephiroth Crescent." And with that he lifted her hand up to his lips to press a soft kiss on her knuckles, all the while keeping his Mako eyes glued to hers.

Tifa went all warm inside, something in his eyes making her go even warmer lower.

"Likewise."

* * *

A/N: So, this is the second time I upload this chapter due to some difficulties with the system, but I hope everyone can read it now. Thank you so much, Crimson-Finder for letting me know about the chapter's condition. I hope you can now read it and enjoy it!


	4. Chapter 4

**WARNING: EXPLICIT/MATURE CONTENT**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing of Final Fantasy**

 **CHAPTER 4**

 _The night was cool. A fresh breeze swept by the trees, ruffling its leaves ever so lightly. The soft scent of the pine trees flooded the nostrils of the inhabitants of the small peaceful town._

 _There wasn't much activity normally at this late hour. Everyone retired off to their homes by ten pm without any protest or even a second glance back. It didn't have much to do with their lack of nightly activities as it had with the fact that anyone who lingered past the gates at this hour ran very high chances of never coming back to their loved ones._

 _That was the dark side to the beauty of the tranquility of Nibelheim. Small town. Close families. Big dangers. Bigger secrets._

 _For most, that was what their nightmares were made of—finding themselves lost somewhere on Mount Nibel during the night, all by their selves with barely enough starlight to illuminate their surroundings. Until right in front of them a towering silhouette could be made out with bright yellowish green eyes staring back at them. Until said mysterious figure slashed with dagger-like claws across their necks._

 _Only for one other were the nightmares different. Tifa Lockhart. She had faced all those stupid fears of monsters when she was just a five year old. When she'd ventured up those steep paths deep into the trees covering the looming mountain. But out of all those nightmares, only one lingered. Only one remained tormenting her._

 _But not that night. No one would be able to scare her tonight. She had decided to do what she pleased without a worry of what the consequences might be. She forgot about it all as she let the young man lead her to that old abandoned farmhouse outside of the gates._

 _Rumor had it that it was those same feared monsters said to have come down from the reactor at the top of the mountain the reason why it was left in such a creepy state. But Tifa had learned at some point that the owners just decided to leave it behind with everything in it once the rumors of monsters started. There hadn't been any murder yet involved as everyone had been led to believe._

 _But its state didn't matter, as she looked back over her shoulder to make sure no one had been following them. She immediately pushed closed the doors and locked them just in case someone wanted to find out what the soft murmuring voices were._

 _She didn't have a chance to turn around before he pushed her against those very wooden doors, grinding his hips against her ass making his evident bulge felt. Tifa let out a shaky breath as her neck was deliciously ravished by the young man's hot open mouth kisses._

 _She'd never felt anything like this. She'd never even been kissed or touched like this before him in all her sixteen years. And she liked it._

 _She pushed her hands against the wooden doors to try and turn around, but the young man had other plans. He ran his hands from her hips to her stomach, pressing her harder against him. They both took slow clumsy steps back paying no attention to where they were going until the young man turned them and pushed her face first onto a small pile of hay. He didn't wait until she turned before he lied on top of her to continue grinding himself against her soft reart._

 _Tifa couldn't say she was exactly enjoying being pushed against the itchy hay, but the growing heat between her legs spreading all throughout her body made her forget any discomfort. Gladly enough for her though, the young man gave her enough space for her to face him._

 _She turned to see why he'd stopped his movements, why he'd suddenly taken the exquisite heat his body was giving her. Tifa blushed harder now that she took his chest in as he got rid of his harness and shirt to toss them aside._

 _She craved to run her hands all over his chest and even her tongue but she refrained from doing so. She lacked the experience and therefore the confidence to know whether her actions would be well received or not. So she simply remained still with her wine eyes glued to his lean and muscular torso._

 _The young man looked down at her with a smirk gracing his lips. He couldn't deny how lucky he thought he was that the one hot girl in this godsforsaken town had been open to his approach. And man… those breasts had him since she received him and his companions._

 _But he'd been patient enough._

 _Without as much as a warning he grabbed them through her shirt, massaging them as he pleased, eliciting a loud gasp from the brunette beneath him. He wanted more still. He wanted her bare before him._

 _"_ _Take it off. All of it."_

 _Tifa knew she'd have to at some point, but honestly she was kind of naively hoping everything would simply pass without her having to be fully naked, and the way he'd simply ordered her to remove all of her clothing didn't exactly ease things for her. She did so nonetheless reminding herself over and over again that this was what she wanted. She let him think she was an easy girl. She let him be the one who gave her that escape from reality, even if it meant degrading herself to just a pretty body and a means of entertainment for the SOLDIER._

 _Her will faltered a bit laying there completely exposed as his eyes ate her form. For a moment she panicked thinking there was something wrong with her body. That the first man to have seen her didn't appreciate her and was a second away from abandoning her in that state all the while laughing at her._

 _But his bright blue eyes barely blinked as they contemplated what part of her to devour first. Her lips were still swelled from their earlier meeting at the well before coming here. Her neck had received enough attention too… for now. And though he longed to lose himself in her chest once more, there was still one place he'd left untouched. Not because he'd forgotten but because he was waiting for complete privacy so he could make her scream to the skies without interruptions._

 _He slid his hands up her inner thighs until he was barely an inch away from that dark triangle and separated her legs baring her completely to himself. So he dived in._

 _Tifa gasped louder this time with widened eyes as he divided intimate skin with his tongue. It was too much. She was feeling too much to fully grasped what was going on. All she knew was that it felt good. It felt really, really good._

 _Her hands unconsciously looked for something she could hold on to and let out all that pressure building up inside of her with her strength. She grabbed fistfuls of hay while her body trembled uncontrollably. Her body seemed to have a mind of its own as she opened her mouth to let out the first pleasure-caused moan out into the night air._

 _The young, blue-eyed young man smirked in satisfaction without parting his mouth from where it worked between her legs. He knew from countless of other women that he had a very talented tongue, but he loved being reminded how good he was. And by the look of her unstill body, he was setting yet another record on his mental competition with himself._

 _Tifa managed to focus her gaze on him before it went all blurry with stars in her vision as something in her exploded in pure ecstasy. Something wet kept pouring from her body in time to the beating of her heart as her core contracted over and over again in what she still hadn't realized was her first orgasm._

 _The young man finally realized how necessary it really was for them to have been outside the town circle otherwise they would've been found and interrupted by the whole town coming out to find out who was screaming her lungs off to the skies and_ what _had caused it._

 _He didn't bother with removing the rest of his clothing after he was done pleasing her with her mouth, rather he simply unbuttoned his trousers and slid down the front zipper to let himself out._

 _Tifa still hadn't come down from that pleasure induced high as he lowered himself closer to her. Without warning, he slid himself inside of her in one full thrust, breaking through that sacred thin wall of skin that made her pure and innocent._

 _A virgin. She had been a virgin until this very moment he'd taken her without a second thought or even soothing words to walk her through her first intercourse. He hadn't even allowed her to adjust to this new overwhelming feeling tinged with pain intensified only by the fact that even though this was a far more casual encounter that she'd hoped, he hadn't even shown the slightest bit of care for the girl who just given everything to him._

Tifa woke up startled with pain between her legs, somehow aching terribly as if everything she'd just dreamed had just finished transpiring. Slowly moving her legs towards the edge of the bed, she turned her head to the nightstand and saw the red digits flashing back at her. 3 AM, it read. She took controlled breaths to calm herself and her erratically beating heart.

Once she'd calmed down and woken up a little bit more, she'd become aware of how drenched her underwear had become overnight, during the very explicit dream. Kicking back the quilt, she ran to the bathroom across the hallway of her apartment.

She pulled down her pajama shorts along her white cotton panties to find blood drenched and stained the fabric.

Great.

At least she now knew the real cause of the uncomfortable pain in her lower regions. She went back to her room to get another set of clean sleepwear and underwear. She couldn't begin to describe how annoyed she was to have woken up and have her sleep interrupted by the oh-so-wonderful monthly reminder that she wasn't pregnant.

After taking a quick warm shower, she went back to her room to see if the bed sheets were also stained and change them. On her way back, she grabbed a water bottle from the small fridge she had upstairs to avoid going back down to the bar, and some pain-killers.

Taking her cellphone with her to bed, she scrolled through her notifications finding two text messages.

 _Yuffie:_

 _Hey, Teef. I'm still not feeling good. I think I'm gonna stay back home tomorrow too._

 _Barret:_

 _Is that punk still there with you?!_

She locked it once more. She was in no mood to deal with more of him after Sephiroth explaining that he and Cid had started it all.

They'd spent the last two days together hanging out while they cleaned up that mess. At first, she'd thought it was going to be a quick job, but as they kept cleaning and throwing out everything that had no use they'd realized how much work there still was to be done. Yuffie hadn't been able to come back down to the bar to help, and her cook was still recovering from the head trauma, so she was basically left alone with no one to help since she still didn't want to even look at Barret and Cid.

She would still be throwing out everything that had been broken if it hadn't been for Sephiroth.

Tifa smiled as the memories of the last two days ran through her mind. He'd stayed well into the first hours of the next day of the incident helping her sort through all the mess, against her protests. She did convince him though to let her pay him back somehow. He'd said that coming here to her bar was payment enough for him.

She'd really enjoyed his company. It was kind of nice to have a masculine presence besides those whom she considered family. They'd gotten on a first name basis, at least, given how little the man actually talked.

She had rambled on and on about her life back in Nibelheim and how when she turned seventeen, she ran away from home looking for something more of life. She'd thought that he'd be annoyed at how much she talked but when she'd apologized he confessed that he was in fact very interested in her story and how a girl like her ended up in the slums of Midgar working at a bar, never mind how such a young woman had managed to actually own and run it better than half of the high class ones in the upper plate.

She'd tried to make him spill a little about his own life, but other than he worked for Shinra—unhappily—and had a younger brother, she hadn't learned much. She also learned that he wasn't a difficult man to like.

Yes, he was completely stoic.

Yes, apparently he had an infamous reputation.

But somewhere, beneath all of that, she felt there was something sweet and kind about him. Something that seduced her deeper and deeper into his waters. She'd decided that she wanted to know him better.

Which was why she had actually asked him for his phone number to be able to communicate with him. She was after all going to pay him somehow for all the help he'd offered that night and the subsequent days cleaning up and leaving Seventh Heaven spotless.

Tifa let out a long sigh. As they'd thrown stuff away and cleaned up, she'd realized how much work she really had to do to make the place decent again. The walls had become stained with years of use. The ceiling was filled with holes that allowed any electricity cables to be out for anyone to see. She'd even been terrified to find rat droppings back in the supply closet. Not to mention her eternal enemies running all over the bathroom—the cockroaches.

Needless to say, she had to do something to update everything. And however frustrating this process was, it had proved itself vital for her to realize how much exactly it was needed.

She set up her alarm to go off at 7:30am and covered herself in the clean sheets.

She had to get some rest if she was going to do some more deep cleaning in the morning just so she could sit down and browse through the online stores to buy whatever was necessary.

But even though she'd showered. Even though she'd distracted her mind for a bit with thoughts of Sephiroth, it went back to that dream she had.

It felt so real. Tifa scoffed.

It _had been_ real.

That was what had happened in the summer before she turned seventeen. Before she'd packed her bags and left for good. Before her father had caught her with that young man, after having looked through the whole town for her and not found her.

The summer that she'd lost her virginity to a stranger, whose name she never knew, but face still remained carved into her memories. The summer that had unleashed her father's fury upon her mercilessly.

She shuddered at the memory, her body subconsciously trying to shake off the lingering feeling of that man's hands.

To which man—her father or the young man— the hands that caused her to shudder belonged to, she did not know.

But she'd promised herself that she would move on from either of their dark memories, and start a new life. So far, she'd been doing a good job, but somehow it still managed to catch up with her no matter how hard she ran away from them.

One thing was clear though, they were both in the past. And neither could come back into her life.

 _A/N:_

 _Hello again, everyone! I haven't been able to write as much as I'd like due to college and work, but I managed to squeeze this chap between everything I had. It's not much, but I hope that it helps that reading craving. I haven't been able to edit much since I've been on a crazy rush, but please feel free to let me know any mistakes I might've overlooked or ask me anything you don't understand. I know that a lot of questions might rise from this chapter but I will be explaining more in future chapters. I hope you have enjoyed this, and I hope that you guys will leave feedback! It certainly will help motivate me. I hope everyone's day or night will be pleasant and awesome. Work, study, dream, sleep, and do whatever it is that makes you feel alive and keep that beautiful smile on your face. Until next time_!


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I am so sorry for taking so long to update. This past two months have been a nightmare. As some of you might've heard, Puerto Rico (my home) was devastatingly hit by hurricane Maria. We were left with zero communication for more than three weeks, no power, no water for even more, and needless to say it was a very difficult time for me and my family. I could literally go on for pages and pages of stories, but this is not the time or place for that. Good news is: I FINALLY HAVE ELECTRICITY AGAIN! And that means I'll be able to update more often. I divided this chap in two because it was way too long for one. Hopefully part 2 will be up in a couple of days. I will do my best to upload sometime during this week. Please excuse any grammatical errors or anything. Reviews and constructive criticism is well received and will definitely give a boost to my motivation right now. Hope you enjoy!_

 **Chapter 5 (Part 1)**

Cloud hated the way his brother had been distant lately. It set his nerves on fire. It was one thing to tell him he had work to do and couldn't linger when he was barely starting to train as a grunt and his older brother already a full-time general, but this… This was ridiculous!

He'd been trying to talk to him about the whole new Shinra arrangement and vent out a little, but lately he'd been too busy to even spare a few minutes at home to even have dinner together. And that was very unusual. They weren't one of those big-brother-takes-care-of-me type of relationship, but they did try their best to remain pretty close, after all… they were the only thing had.

Cloud knew there wasn't anything to be worried about, but still. He couldn't shake the feeling his brother was hiding something from him. The thing that really had his hairs standing was the fact that both Angeal and Genesis seemed to be pretty secretive lately, too. He'd asked Zack if he'd noticed but he only said that it was probably due to all the stress Shinra had them under or some undercover mission they might have on their hands. Either way, Zack told him sooner or later they'd talk. He shook his head, convincing himself that Zack was probably right.

He turned off the TV just after the player kicked the ball right into goal. A yawn escaped his mouth. He let it out shamelessly and stretched his legs beneath the cotton covers of his bed, a lion in his habitat.

"Hey."

Right. He wasn't alone.

He looked to his left where Rina, the secretary from the reception of floor 001, lied face down with her deep red hair covered head turned towards him. Her big blue-gray eyes peeped up at him happily, a small smile gracing her pink lips.

He hated that look too. The way women woke up so happy after spending the night with him. As if he were to call them again or offer them a nice, full romantic breakfast on bed. Normally, he'd be up before they were and left before they could even remember to lay down their head on his chest. And if they had spent the night in his place, he'd leave a note on the table with a cup of black coffee—hot or cold depending on how long it took for them to notice— telling them to please see their selves out before Sephiroth saw them. No cellphone numbers, no _have a nice day_ , no good mornings, and absolutely no kisses outside of sex. After all, that was all he wanted from them.

Last night he'd been buzzed after the party one of the Second Class had thrown in his apartment downtown and at some point he'd manage to seduce—which had been too easy— Rina and dragged her to Sephiroth and his apartment to have his way with her. Everything hard and raw, nothing slow, sweet, or gentle.

He'd been so lost in his own thoughts that it had momentarily escaped his mind he still had company. Company who was now snuggling closer to his naked body. He suppressed a cringe. He wasn't one to reject sex— no matter the time—but normally morning sex after having spent the night led them to think he was interested in more.

Cloud threw his legs over the edge of the bed to put some space between them as he grabbed his boxers and slid them on trying to make the message clear.

"I have to go back to the office—urgently. There's a few things I have to get done," he lied. He went to the adjacent bathroom putting even more space between them.

"Don't you want to have some breakfast first?" She purred.

"Uh… no. I'll get something on the way."

"Oh," she was her only response, a little disappointed. "Can I come with you?"

"No. I—uh… It's strictly for First Class only," he lied again as he stepped under the shower.

"And what about tonight?" He heard her shout over the sound of pouring water.

"What about it?" He knew what she was trying to do, but he wanted nothing more of her. He'd only wish she'd get the message already.

"Well, I was hoping we could see each other. You know, make last night happen again."

Cloud turned off the shower and sighed.

"I don't date."

"I know, so I've heard. But there doesn't have be any particular interests besides intercourse," she purred as she sensually leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom wearing nothing but the white button shirt he had on the night before. He grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his lower body.

"Look, you're hot. But I don't date and I don't make appointments to meet again. If it happens again, it happens naturally. No plans involved."

She only lifted an eyebrow at him before she turned with a scoff and muttered what he thought was a _whatever_. He shrugged to himself with a chuckle as he proceeded to the sink to brush his teeth.

It wasn't very long after when he heard the front door shut so hard the vibrations echoed all throughout the apartment. With toothbrush still in hand, he peeked his head through the door and took in his room.

No black lacy panties on the floor.

No dress thrown over the seat by the corner.

And definitely no Rina sprawled over his bed.

Sephiroth appeared a moment later just outside his bedroom door wearing a slightly surprised yet amused expression and a pair of light blue jeans with a dark green t-shirt.

"Let me guess, she wanted to meet again."

Cloud only shrugged innocently before returning to the sink and spitting. "I don't know what the matter with these girls is lately. One minute they're okay with just fucking and then they're demanding more. Do you think I'm not being clear enough?"

"I think you're not being fair enough. Not everyone is looking for just some nightly fun, Cloud. Some actually want someone to spend their day with."

"She didn't want to spend the day with me. She wanted to have sex again."

"And?"

"And we both know there is an extremely great risk for 'just sex' to turn into 'I just want to spend time with you'. And that is something I don't want to get myself dragged into."

"One of these days, you're going to find a girl you 'just want to spend time with' and because of all this, you're not going to have her."

"Maybe," he came back out wearing cotton pajama pants and continued with a smirk, "but until then, I'm going to keep on having my fun."

Sephiroth shook his head. It honestly confused him how that little asshole could even be related to him. Yes, he did have his fair share of adventures, but he wasn't as despicable as Cloud. If he wanted sex, he made sure to find someone who wasn't all that particularly interested in him. But Cloud… he had a thing for going after those whom already had a crush on him and then crushed them without a pity. He tried to be a good example for him, or at least give him some advice—which always ended up being rejected.

But it was his life, his problem.

Sephiroth went on to the family and plopped down on the sofa. He turned on the plasma TV to watch the news which were talking about the different on-growing manifestations against the Shinra Electric Company worldwide.

"I'm telling you, that old man is gonna end up with a serious rebellion in his hands soon. And there's no SOLDIER who will be able to convince these people otherwise, much les stop them," stated Cloud as he opened up the fridge.

Sephiroth only nodded completely agreeing with his brother. But he'd already had enough of Shinra, SOLDIER, and the rebellions at work. He was not going to waste his time on them on his day off. He couldn't even remember the last time he had one of these—besides the whole suspension thing.

He took one glance at the clock hanging on the wall behind the dining table.

He'd told Tifa he'd be there thirty minutes after noon. He wanted to arrive just a little bit earlier and maybe bring her some lunch. But he still didn't know her well enough to know what she liked to eat. Goddess knew he didn't want to bring her something she was allergic to. And she probably would have eaten something by the time he arrived, so it would go to waste.

But ice-cream was ok, right? If she'd already had lunch, then dessert was something that she could appreciate. And everyone liked ice-cream.

Unless she was lactose intolerant.

Sephiroth blew a huff of air as he massaged the bridge of his nose. He was thinking too much. He wasn't one to be wondering what to do. He was a general, for goodness sake! He was strained to do. To act. Not wonder what the woman he liked might like.

Cloud sensed his discomfort from the kitchen behind Sephiroth, divided only by the isle topped with stainless steel.

"You've been quiet lately."

Sephiroth threw his head back against the sofa and stared at his brother upside down.

"I'm always quiet."

"You've been quieter. Something bothering you? You really haven't been yourself since that meeting with Lazard the other day."

"I'm fine."

"You have never said you were _fine_ before. What's happening?"

Cloud knew him. He wasn't the _fine_ type of guy. If anything, he would've grunted as an answer to such a stupid question.

"Have you seen anything out of the ordinary back at work?"

"What, besides all the pushing us around to do their dirty work? No."

Sephiroth remained quiet for a second. "Things are going to get bad for Shinra."

"Shinra, the president, or ShinRa, the company?"

"Both. And I've got a feeling we're going to be right in the middle of it all."

"Of course we're going to be in the middle of it all," spoke Cloud through the cereal in his mouth. "We're SOLDIER's. We're the ones who are supposed to deal with their shit."

"Maybe we don't have to. Maybe we ought to get out soon before all of this explodes and drags us all into the same hell," started Sephiroth.

"Are you really suggesting we leave SOLDIER? We can't just do that, you know. We're the best they've got. They're not going to let us off that easily," Cloud reminded him not so subtly.

"I know. They probably would turn us against each other." Sephiroth stood up and grabbed his keys. "Which is why I want you to start organizing everything so we don't leave any loose ends."

"Are you serious?"

"Very."

Without another word, he left the apartment and left Cloud alone. Again. At least he knew now what had been bothering him. It made sense though. If Shinra went down, so would all of them. There would be no break or mercy to exclude them from this mess. Whatever happened, he promised himself he would follow Sephiroth's instinct. It never failed, and he was sure as hell this would not be the exception.

Cloud finished his breakfast before plopping down on the sofa and taking his phone out to call Zack. Fridays were always guy's night, and the day before he'd been talking about a new taco place that had opened near his girlfriend's house. They always tried to go to different places every week, and this time it was Zack's turn to pick a place. But he needed to call to remind him and confirm the time and place for tonight.

The phone rang once. Twice. Then the voicemail came out. He called again, but it fell directly to the voicemail.

"Pick up the damn phone, you prick," he said after the beep.

He had a very good idea what his friend was up to, but he didn't care. They had always said bros before hoes, and he was damn sure some pretty flower girl wouldn't be enough to convince him otherwise.


	6. Chapter 5 Pt 2

**Chapter 5 Pt. 2**

Tifa was closing the door to the bar by the time Sephiroth arrived. She was holding her bag and a stack of magazines on one arm while holding her mug of coffee on the other hand. Taking the keys with her mouth she shifted the weight of the magazines against her waist and expertly placed the mug between them and her body. With her free hand, she took the keys and went to lock the door.

"Need some assistance?"

Tifa yelped as everything flew. "Oh! You scared me!"

Sephirtoh managed to catch the mug midair avoiding any spills, but left all the magazines scattered all around them.

"My apologies," Sephiroth offered as he knelt to gather all the magazines. They were all about home décor. All _eight_ of them. "Is this all necessary?"

"Uh, yeah… Well, not really, but there are some really nice things I saw that I'd like to buy for the bar," she stammered.

"Couldn't you just take notes or some pictures of it with your phone?" Sephiroth tried—really tried—to understand how the female mind worked, but to this day, it remained one of the hardest mysteries yet to be solved.

Tifa sighed, "I should probably leave these, right?"

"Probably." Sephiroth scratched the back of his neck nervously. He really didn't want to offend her or make her uncomfortable in any way. But carrying this much stuff around didn't seem efficient at all.

Tifa opened the door again. She took the magazines from Sephiroth and dropped them with a heavy thud on the nearest table. "So, wanna go shopping with me?"

Sephiroth crossed his arms. "Are you asking me out on a date, Miss Lockhart?"

Tifa looked at him a bit surprised at his daring attitude this day. But she would be damned if she let any man intimidate her. Taking a few slow strides, she approached him and placed her hands on her waist. She gave him the most breathtaking stare a woman could possibly as she said, "Well, do you?"

If the woman was trying to seduce him, she was succeeding. From where he stood, he had a perfect view down her cleavage, which her denim button shirt was so deliciously hugging. Sadly, she only gave him a second before she continued passing, but it had been enough to have a peak of the lacy red bra beneath. He walked outside waiting for Tifa to lock the door smirking to himself with the image engraved into his mind.

"So, where are you taking me for our date?" Sephiroth offered his arm.

"No better place than the Home Department store." She paused as she took a sip from her coffee and slipped her arm around his. "We're buying some paint today."

The rest of the afternoon went by smoothly for them as they scouted store after store buying everything Tifa needed for the bar. She had ordered everything to be delivered straight to her home so they wouldn't have to make unnecessary trips back and forth carrying all the stuff. The only thing they took with them was the paint and all the tools they'd need to start painting.

It had been a little weird for her to be walking around Midgar with Sephiroth by her side. She liked it, but it was a little awkward to have everyone staring at her, probably wondering who she was and why she was with the general. He didn't seem to mind though. He simply looked content to be with her.

He was actually very sweet when they passed by a park and a couple of kids froze to gawk at him almost not believing what their eye were seeing. It had been hilarious when a little girl no older than five asked her if they were a couple. Even Sephiroth had to laugh. He didn't answer though. He only grabbed Tifa's hand and looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to give the little girl an answer. Feeling stupid for being nervous, she told her they were only friends, to which the little girl answered with a giggle and a _yeah, right_.

They left walking hand in hand, talking about life under the plate and the differences between the high life above where the sun shone and the slums, where it did not. Apparently, there wasn't much he liked or preferred from the highlife. It consisted mostly of hypocrites who were only interested in finding what others had for their own benefit. That was why he stayed away from everyone, except his friends from SOLDIER.

Tifa felt sorry for him. It had to be hard not having many people he could count on. Even worse, keeping his walls up all the time. It had to take its toll on him one way or another. She wished she could just take away all the hurt and the weight that came from just being him. They arrived shortly to her place. There wasn't much now in the room, but the few tables and chairs that had survived. She'd already cleaned as much as she could by herself, but it made a difference. They moved around the few things that were in the way to make some space for them to work on.

After they cleared up everything, Tifa excused herself and went to her room upstairs to grab an old t-shirt for her. She thought that Sephiroth too would like to change his shirt at least to avoid ruining it with paint. She went looking for that box in her closet where she had extra clothes for when a member of AVALANCHE occasionally came in looking for shelter or at least some coverage for a few hours while she drove away any SOLDIER who might barge into her bar to ask for suspects.

Tifa sighed. She knew she shouldn't be getting too close to Shinra's Silver General. She was risking the lives of everyone who was dear to her and even those who weren't. The group had grown so much in so little time that they were spies and members basically everywhere. They actually had a chance—a _chance_ —of taking Shinra by surprise.

But if she blew it… there was so much more at stake than their lives, including hers. They could lose their future. Humanity's future. And their Home.

Maybe she should give it up. There was no way anything serious would be born out of this with Sephiroth. And even if it did, did she expect him to leave everything—his career, his reputation, his job—for her? There was no way in hell it was going to happen. The sad part was that she had no idea how to stop. It was like a storm. She knew it was coming, but had no way to detain it or avoid the damages whether it was her heart that suffered or millions of others.

She fished the largest t-shirt she could find for him before hiding the box behind her own clothes and changed with her mind set. She was going to stop seeing the general, and somehow find a way for him to stop looking for her.

Tifa stepped down the stairs ready to tell Sephiroth that she could work on her own, or tell him that help was one the way, even though he'd probably see straight through her lie. At first she didn't spot him, but once she turned to her left her stomach clenched.

Broad shoulders. Big, muscled back. All made visible by the lack of the proper coverage of a shirt and by the surprisingly hot man-bun over his head. The day wasn't exactly warm, but apparently the man had enough heat coming out from within to make him start sweating lightly with the movements of his arms as he used the roller to paint the wall.

A view like that couldn't be real or possible except in that porn for females magazine Yuffie always secretly ordered. She could see it. It would've made the cover page. And the fact that it was _him_ … It was just too much.

She had no idea of how much time she'd stood there staring, but she only reacted when Sephiroth said her name. And it took every little piece of self-control to avoid melting into a puddle of goo by the sound of it.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he put down the roller and walked over to her. "You're blushing. You're not running a fever, are you?"

The man put the back of his hand over her forehead and slowly dragged it down to her cheek, to her neck, in a gentle caress that was more out of wanting to touch her than checking her temperature.

Tifa managed to focus her gaze, and it was worse now that she had him so close. Abs. His abs were carved by the goddess herself. She tried and failed to keep her vision glued to his chest, but it went lower to where his pants hanged on his hips. She almost drooled when she saw no trace of pubic hair on his v-section.

Sephiroth saw and knew what he was doing to her. He was enjoying every little second that passed by. His fingers grabbed her chin so delicately as if he was afraid of hurting her. Slowly, he tilted her head up so that he could lock gazes with her.

She was absolutely stunning. Beautiful. He didn't care how soon it might have seemed, but he wanted to kiss her so badly. Right then. So he leaned in.

Tifa knew the moment his eyes lowered to her lips what he wanted to do. Everything she had told herself moments before went flying out the windows. She wanted to kiss him too. So she remained quiet and still and waited for his lips to connect with hers.

Their first reaction was to freeze for a second the moment their lips connected, digesting the sensations igniting within. Tifa then grabbed him by the neck as she kissed him back. She felt as Sephiroth slid a hand to her back to press her closer to his body.

Her scent intoxicated him. He loved it. He craved it. He kissed her slowly so he could savor every last bit of it. But it didn't last long. Not when the need for more pressed against their minds. The kisses turned deeper, hungrier, needier. It was as if they both had been roaming in the desert for too long and found that much desired oasis in each other's lips.

Sephiroth walked them to the wall and gently pushed her against it. Tifa's hands were already running over his toned chest, so he decided to do a little exploring himself. He slid his hands beneath her t-shirt enjoying the feel of smooth skin. He was a bit surprised to find very well-toned muscles beneath. Perhaps he'd ask later what sport she practiced.

Tifa felt goose bumps cover her skin. She arched her back against his touch, a little ashamed of the way her body begged for more. He parted his lips from hers and traveled all the way to her neck, leaving a trail of hot kisses. She felt as his hand kept going higher and higher beneath her shirt, getting dangerously close to the curve of her breasts. She let herself moan. Confirmation enough for Sephiroth to rise his hand further and grab her breast. He wanted to see them, but her t-shirt was rudely in the way. He started taking it off when a voice from out of nowhere interrupted them.

"And here I was thinking I'd let you know I feel well enough to start working, but maybe I should come some other time," started Yuffie.

Both jumped, completely startled with the unexpected visit catching them in such an intimate moment. Sephiroth yanked back his hand from Tifa's chest as she quickly fixed herself.

"You know, when I'm not interrupting _anything_ ," concluded Yuffie.

"Yuffie! I—I was just… um… You know, I was just going to give him a t-shirt so he could change and help me paint."

"Uh-huh. By giving him yours?"

If Tifa had been blushing before with Sephiroth's ministrations, she was now at a whole new level of reds. She couldn't even look at Sephiroth now. He probably thought she was some easy girl fun enough for one night only.

Sephiroth was just doing his best to remain composed. Inside, he was torn between rubbing his face with his hands in embarrassment or simply laugh it all off. He knew that if word got out, his reputation was done for. He didn't even want to imagine the look on Cloud's face if he found out. Or worse, Genesis's. The later always encouraged all sorts of reckless behaviors, so it wouldn't have been that much of a problem.

He cleared his throat and turned to return to his chore. He didn't mind being shirtless—he trained like that most of his time—but now he felt a little bit self-conscious with Yuffie staring. He soaked the roller with paint again, and resumed doing his best to act as if nothing had happened moments before. And trying to ignore the bulge in his pants.

Tifa cleared her throat. "So, you're feeling better."

It was more of a statement to calm herself and subtly change the focus of the smaller girl back to her. She would never hear the end of this. From now on, Yuffie would only exist to remind her over and over again of this moment. And by the gleam in Yuffie's eyes, she probably would torture her from now on. Both girls walked to the kitchen sensing that the next words spoken between them, were better left for privacy.

"'I was just going to give him a t-shirt'? Is that the best excuse you could come up with? I mean, if you're going to get dirty, at least do it with pride. Do you have any idea whose hands were gripping your breasts?"

"I'm glad you're feeling better," interrupted Tifa. "And since you already saved me the trouble of calling you, I'll only text you the list of things I still need to buy."

"You're kicking me out?" Yuffie let out a scoff as she dropped her bag on a kitchen table. "Aren't you at least telling me if he's a good kisser?" She asked with a big goofy smile. "I mean, last time I saw him, he was still sitting by the corner making eyes at you like some seventh grader! Now I come back to see he already had his tongue down your throat."

"Sweet Goddess! Could you be any more vulgar? You make it sound as if I was a slut."

"Tifa, are you listening to yourself? I'm only teasing you and you're acting all offended and guilty because you think you behaved like a slut? Sweetheart, I've seen sluts. Hell, I'm more of a slut than you! Making out and doing some other things with someone you like does _not_ make you a slut. Now, chill and tell me how good he was."

Tifa stood still gaping at Yuffie. She never thought that she'd have to listen to her friend lightly reprimanding her. Not because of what she was doing with Sephiroth, but because of how she was looking at herself. And Yuffie was right—she didn't have to degrade herself just because she was allowing herself a little bit of pleasure with a handsome man, even if she'd decided that said man was off limits. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she smiled and confessed, "He was great."

"And?"

She lowered her voice to a whisper, "He was fucking hard."

"Whoa! Now we're talking!"

Both ladies stayed behind the kitchen doors girl talking and laughing as low as possible as Tifa spilled every detail since the night he stayed to help. Sephiroth tried to block their voices, knowing that it was rude to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help if his senses were ridiculously enhanced. No matter how hard he tried, he still heard every word shared between them. He would never let Tifa know he'd heard what she thought of him, but he let the words sink in him and boost his confidence.

He became concerned when he heard the shift in Tifa's voice, saying something about _enjoying things while they lasted_. He couldn't hear much afterwards because their whispers turned too low even for him to decipher. He remained focused on painting the wall.

A few minutes later their voices resumed their normal volume. The doors swished as both ladies emerged from the kitchen. He didn't turn, but he knew Yuffie was still checking him out as she strode out the room.

"Wow. I'm going to have to hire you for paint jobs. You're basically done with this area." Tifa stood beside him surveying the work he'd done. He took her form out of the corner of his eyes. Her arms were wrapped around herself as if she was trying to shield her body from him. A small sting struck his heart as he thought that maybe she didn't want to be with him. That even though she'd been open to his advances earlier, maybe that was all she really wanted from him. Nothing more. Not that he could give her much more. She probably wanted to marry and have a nice little family who'd spend lots of time together. He could give her only a fraction of that, but she deserved more. He still didn't know her that well, but he knew she was made for more.

He was startled when he felt a cool, smooth hand slide down his back lovingly. Tifa still didn't look at him, but the touch was enough to grab his full attention. Before he could stop and think what he was doing, Sephiroth grabbed Tifa by the waist and pulled her flush against him as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Are you alright," he asked. He felt butterflies fluttering around in his stomach now she was near.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Though Yuffie's still in shock."

Sephiroth's laugh rumbled all over her body. She loved the sound of it, she decided as she hugged him back tightly.

"I can imagine," he answered against her hair.

Tifa knew she probably would regret it at some point, but for now, she just let herself get lost in his arms.

 _A/N:_

 _Yeah, yeah... I know I said it would be ready by last week, but college comes first. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Also, if you haven't, go check out my new fanfic, The Arcana Chronicles._


	7. BONUS

[BONUS]

Songs for Bonus Chapter:

 _That's The Way I Loved You_ , Taylor Swift

 _Not Meant to Be_ , Theory of A Deadman

 _My Life Would Suck Without You_ , Kelly Clarkson

 _7 Things_ , Miley Cyrus

The room was dark—not much light could pass through the plate for those who lived in the slums. Light pink walls were decorated with a few paintings of different kinds of flowers. A soft breeze entered through the open windows and gently moved the almost clear curtains white curtains.

Soft moans could be heard above the creaking of the twin sized bed barely holding two passionate lovers as they made love to each other. As each second passed, those moans grew louder, more intense.

"Oh, Zack! Right there. Don't stop!"

Zack kept pounding deep into Aerith, as she commanded eager to bring them both to pure bliss. She tightened her legs around him holding him closer to her body while her hands gripped his back and occasionally left scratches all over it.

"Oh, fuck!" Moaned Zack to her neck, not bothering to part his lips from the taste of her sweat covered skin.

It was a dream. A sweet, exquisite dream to be with her. To be able to have her, hold her, and make love to her. He could feel himself already on the edge, and by the look on Aerith's face, she was too. He kissed her neck and kept dragging his mouth all the way up to her ear and whispered, "Cum w—"

His phone rang before he said anything more, interrupting him. He didn't stop his movements though. If he ignored it long enough, it would go away. But the momentum was already stopped—he could tell by the look on Aerith's face. Whoever was calling wasn't planning on giving up though, because not two seconds after the call went to voicemail, it started ringing again.

"Zack. Turn it _off_." It was both an order and a threat.

He grabbed his cell from the nightstand and hanged without really looking at the caller id. But it rang again.

"Babe, just—just give me a sec," mumbled Zack nervously. If he didn't turn off his phone, he knew that not only _he_ would be punished, but _Zack Junior_ , and right now… He didn't even want to go there

Aerith scoffed in disbelief. She didn't waste her breath in an argument. It was no use. No matter what she said, Zack would always be an idiot. He just wouldn't learn to understand her the way women wanted so desperately to be understood by men. It didn't mean she didn't appreciate his lazy attempts, but she sometimes wished he gave more.

Zack picked up his phone again and looked at the caller ID. _Cloud_ , he made a mental note to change his name to Cock-Blocker as he pressed to call back. He knew he shouldn't, but you never knew what emergency might've come up with Shinra these days.

"You'd better have a _really_ good reason to be calling right now."

"Am I interrupting?" said Cloud's voice laced with a laugh from the other side of the phone.

"I'm hanging up," growled Zack.

"No, wait. Is tonight still on?" Cloud innocently asked.

"You can't be serious." If this was the reason Cloud called, he would make sure to run Angeal's sword straight through his ass the next time he saw him.

"Yes, I am. Listen, we have to talk. There is some serious shit going on."

Zack pulled himself out of a very pissed Aerith, and threw his legs over the bed. He'd be lying if he said those words didn't frighten him a bit. "What happened?"

"I can't talk right now, but listen. If you're still meeting with the guys tonight, can you get there at least an hour earlier?"

"Sure. Wait—is it taco night?"

Zack heard sheets shuffling behind him, but he didn't turn.

"Yeah. And Zack—no females tonight." Without any more words, the blonde man hanged up. Zack threw his phone on the nightstand and swung his legs back on the bed to discover he was the only one in it. His eyes darted all over the room until they stopped on the door left open to the hallway.

"Aerith?"

Her answer came from somewhere down the hall—probably the bathroom—as he heard the toilet flushing. "You better get dressed. Mom's already on her way back."

This made him power walk all the way to her not bothering to cover himself up. Had he heard correctly? "So? Can't we do a quickie? We haven't finished yet."

He pressed himself against her as she finished braiding her hair in front of the bathroom mirror and tried to kiss her neck.

" _Oh, no_. _You_ haven't finished. _I_ , on the other hand, am _very_ finished." Aerith pushed past him already wearing a white summer dress—he noticed—and her full-braided hair. She didn't even spare a glance at his still erected member he'd left uncovered just for her. Dashing after her back to her room, he heard the main door of the apartment open loudly as Mrs. Gainsborough came in.

Aerith and Zack freaked out as they realized what this meant. There was a very strict _No Boys Allowed_ rule on this apartment, especially when the mother wasn't present. A rule that they had been breaking for a very long time and were now on the verge of being discovered. Aerith threw herself over the bed reaching for the man's clothes. In a second, she had pushed the bundle of SOLDIER uniform against Zack. Without a thought, he expertly rushed into his clothes, painfully zipping his still engorged penis inside.

"Out the window. Now."

"I'll call you," he began as he pressed a quick kiss against her lips.

"Call your new girlfriend," Aerith snapped as she pushed him out her window, not caring whether he was ready to land gracefully on his feet or on his ass. Her timing had been perfect as her mother called from the kitchen to help her with the groceries.

"Coming!"

As she helped put everything in its place while acting as if she hadn't been having sex with her boyfriend—or ex-boyfriend—Aerith wondered what attracted her to such an idiot. She was beautiful—everyone told her as much, but still she ended up with someone who couldn't give her everything she wanted. And Zack tried, she knew he did. He just didn't reach her expectations because it wasn't in him.

The worst part was that she couldn't do anything about it because she'd fallen in love with him in the start. No matter how much she wished he'd change, she could never ask him to. It wouldn't be fair. As she thought more and more on the subject, the more she began to realize that maybe they weren't meant to be.

"How's the cute boy you introduced to me the other day?" Her mother asked interrupting Aerith's thoughts.

"Oh," she stopped a moment to think. If only she knew that boy had been here not ten minutes ago. "He's fine. Busy with work."

"He's a one of those SOLDIERs that work for Shinra, right? Poor boy…"

"What do you mean?"

"He seemed like such a good man, not the kind that work for Shinra. But well… maybe he can influence others to be like him. You should invite him to dinner sometime, Aerith."

Aerith stood still staring at her mother. She never thought her mother would think of him that way. It surprised her and made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. To think her mother accepted him, saw that ray of light that attracted _her_ initially to him… It all reminded her of how much she actually loved him, flaws and all. She wasn't forgiving him for leaving her orgasm hanging to pick up his damn phone, though. At least not yet.

"I'll tell him. Thanks, Mama."

 _A/N:_

 _Hey, guys! Thank you, thank you so much for every single review I've received. You have no idea how much it means to me and how happy you made me. I know that this is not Sephiroth-Tifa-Cloud-wise, but I've had this for a while and decided to finish it and add it as a filler chapter. The songs I left on top are the ones I literally had o repeat as I wrote this chapter completely dedicated to my two guest reviewers, Alice and Sylvia, and LovelyPrecedent. Hope you liked it!_


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